ALLSTATE PROPERTY AND CAS. INS. CO. v. Myllykangas

504 F. Supp. 2d 596, 2007 WL 1040683
CourtDistrict Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedApril 3, 2007
DocketCivil No. 06-359 (DSD/SRN)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 504 F. Supp. 2d 596 (ALLSTATE PROPERTY AND CAS. INS. CO. v. Myllykangas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
ALLSTATE PROPERTY AND CAS. INS. CO. v. Myllykangas, 504 F. Supp. 2d 596, 2007 WL 1040683 (mnd 2007).

Opinion

504 F.Supp.2d 596 (2007)

ALLSTATE PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, an Illinois corporation, Plaintiff,
v.
Teri MYLLYKANGAS, Melinda H. Albers, Rebecca L. Albers, a minor and Hannah M. Onderko, a minor, Defendants.
v.
Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, Intervenor Defendant.

Civil No. 06-359 (DSD/SRN).

United States District Court, D. Minnesota.

April 3, 2007.

*597 Brian A. Wood, Esq., Paulette S. Sarp, Esq. and Lind, Jensen, Sullivan & Peterson, Minneapolis, MN, for plaintiff.

Francis J. Eggert, Esq., Eggert Law Office, Winsted, MN, for defendants.

Todd M. Kleinhuizen, Esq. and Johnson, Moody, Schmidt & Kleinhuizen, Willmar, MN, for intervenor defendant.

ORDER

DOTY, District Judge.

This matter is before the court upon plaintiff's motion for summary judgment and intervenor defendant's cross-motion for summary judgment. Based upon a review of the file, record and proceedings herein, and for the reasons stated, the court grants plaintiffs motion and denies intervenor defendant's cross-motion as untimely.

BACKGROUND

This is an insurance coverage dispute under Minnesota law arising out of a motor vehicle accident that occurred on June 21, 2004. Plaintiff Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company ("Allstate") commenced this declaratory judgment action against defendants Teri Myllykangas ("Teri"), Melinda H. Albers ("Albers") and Albers's two minor daughters Rebecca Albers and Hannah Onderko. Teri is the *598 daughter of Richard and Tamera Myllykangas (the "Myllykangases"). At the time of the accident, Teri was an unemancipated seventeen-year-old who lived with Steve and Shelly Bergquist (the "Bergquists"). Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 24, the court granted Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company's ("Farm Bureau") motion to intervene as a defendant in this action. Farm Bureau issued an insurance policy to Albers's husband that includes underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage and pursuant to which Albers and her daughters are insured.

Allstate issued an automobile insurance policy to the Myllykangases for the period of May 23, 2004, to November 23, 2004, (the "Policy"). (See Sarp Aff. Ex. 1.) The Myllykangases are the only named insureds on the Policy. The Policy provides insurance coverage for two vehicles. According to the Policy's declarations both vehicles were driven only by an adult age 35 and not by any unmarried driver under age 25. (Id.) The. Policy defines an "insured person," while using a non-owned automobile other than a rental vehicle, to include "any resident relative using a four-wheel private passenger auto or utility auto." (Id.) The Policy defines "resident" as follows:"

Resident or reside means the physical presence in your household with the intention to continue living there. Your unmarried dependent children while temporarily away from home will be considered resident(s), if they intend to continue to live in your household.

(Id. (emphasis in original to designate defined words).)

During the policy period, on June 21, 2004, Teri was driving a motor vehicle owned by the Bergquists when she collided with a vehicle being driven by Albers. Albers's minor daughters were passengers in the vehicle at the time of the collision. Albers and her daughters have asserted various claims against Teri as a result of the accident. Allstate commenced this declaratory judgment action to resolve whether it has an obligation to defend or indemnify Teri for any claims or judgments against her arising out of the June 21, 2004, accident. Whether Teri was a "resident" of the Myllykangases' household on the date of the accident and is insured under the Policy is the sole issue in this litigation.

In August 2003, ten months prior to the accident, Teri and her sister moved out of the Myllykangases' home following an argument with their parents. The Myllykangases gave Teri and her sister an ultimatum to abide by the parents' rules or move out, and the girls chose the latter. A week later, the Myllykangases were informed that Teri and her sister had moved in with the family of Teri's sister's boyfriend, where they remained until approximately October or November 2003. During that time, the boyfriend's parents financially supported Teri and facilitated registering Teri in a different school by obtaining the signatures of the Myllykangases. Teri worked at the painting business of the boyfriend's father. According to Teri, when she moved into the home of her sister's boyfriend she viewed the situation as permanent and had no intent to return to the Myllykangases' home or abide by the Myllykangases' rules.

In October or November 2003, Teri and her sister moved in with the Bergquists when Teri's sister broke up with her boyfriend. The Bergquists were parents of a friend of the girls. When Teri moved in with the Bergquists, she completed a change of address form at the United States Post Office so that she would receive all of her mail at the Bergquists' home. According to Teri, she did not view living with the Bergquists as permanent, *599 but she intended to live in the Bergquists' home until she and her sister could rent an apartment. In early 2004, Teri wanted to get away from the environment at the Bergquists and stayed with her aunt for approximately four to six weeks. Other than the brief period of time she stayed with her aunt, Teri lived with the Bergquists until the date of the accident. The Bergquists financially supported Teri, and she considered them to be her guardians. The Bergquists gave Teri permission to use their vehicles, and she drove vehicles owned by the Bergquists several times a week.

After Teri and her sister moved out of the Myllykangas home, Teri never asked the Myllykangases if she could move back home, and the Myllykangases never asked Teri to return home. Teri never asked the Myllykangases for financial support or support of any kind, and the Myllykangases never offered to provide her or the families she stayed with any financial support During that time, Teri called the Myllykangases only a few times to let them know that she was alive or to talk to her younger brother. Although Teri returned to the Myllykangas household on two occasions to visit her brother, the Myllykangases would not permit her to enter the home because she did not live there. Teri did not celebrate any holidays or family events with the Myllykangases, but celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas and her seventeenth birthday with the Bergquists. At no time prior to the accident, while she lived with the Bergquists, did Teri intend to return to live with the Myllykangases.

Mrs. Myllykangas testified that although she initially had a little hope that her daughters would return home, it became clear to her as of October 2003 that they had permanently moved out. As of the date of the accident, Mrs. Myllykangas had no plans that Teri would move back into the Myllykangas home. The Myllykangases were not concerned with Teri's financial support and refused to support her, reasoning that if Teri chose to move out she needed to find somebody to support her or get a job. During the 2003-2004 school year, the Myllykangases did not attend any school conferences or school activities relating to Teri.. If school officials had any questions concerning Teri, Mrs. Myllykangas instructed them to contact the Bergquists. Mrs. Myllykangas packed up all of her daughters' remaining belongings and placed them in a storage room.

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Related

Johnson v. Allstate Property & Casualty Insurance
890 F. Supp. 2d 1100 (D. Minnesota, 2012)
Hayes-Broman v. J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.
724 F. Supp. 2d 1003 (D. Minnesota, 2010)

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Bluebook (online)
504 F. Supp. 2d 596, 2007 WL 1040683, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allstate-property-and-cas-ins-co-v-myllykangas-mnd-2007.